I Showed Her
by carissima
Summary: It had been inevitable. She was the head cheerleader, he was the basketball star, and their union had been written in the stars ... until his pride got in the way. Nathan & Brooke.
1. I Showed Her

**AN: This entire story comes from Nida, and her awesome video to O-Town's 'I Showed Her'. So if you haven't seen that yet, get hold of it! It's the bestest thing I've ever seen, and she gets my undying love and worship for making it. Um ... I'm kinda nervous about this, so you know, feel free to either boost my confidence or shatter it into a million pieces, making me unable to even think about writing anything ever again ... it's up to you! (BTW, this is most intro, the next chapter will be slightly different in style and stuff. More like my usual attempts.)**

It had been inevitable. The head cheerleader and the captain of the basketball team. Their hook-up had been foreseen for years, as she was the most popular girl in school and he was the most popular guy. She'd been the free and easy cheerleader, and he'd been the mean and moody jock. Many of the Tree Hill residents had hoped that Brooke would lighten Nathan's dark moods, and Nathan would ground Brooke, for she wouldn't throw away the perfect match, surely? And so it had happened. They'd given in to fate, and the entire school body had sighed in unison as Nathan Scott and Brooke Davis became a couple. Never had such a beautiful couple graced the halls of Tree Hill High, never before had a couple caused people to stop and stare at them as Brooke had chattered away about nothing in particular, looking gorgeous as usual, to Nathan, who never said anything, but as they reached their lockers, he always cut her off in the most effective way possible; with a kiss, making half the Tree Hill High population sigh in envy, and the other half mutter jealous curses.

Some claimed to have seen Nathan actually smile a few times when in the company of his bubbly girlfriend, and even laugh! Others claimed to have seen Brooke without a drink in her hand at parties, and she never left without Nathan. Most only wanted to believe the claims, rather than actually believing in them. Some thought it unlikely that the easy cheerleader could have a positive effect on the reckless, thoughtless younger Scott brother, and vice versa. To many, Nathan and Brooke had almost a magical quality to them that shone for everyone to see. For a month, the magic had lasted; spreading it's warm and glow across the school, touching everyone and bringing a sense of peacefulness and rightness to their little world.

Until that magic had been shattered.

About a month ago, one Monday morning, Nathan had stalked down the corridors of Tree Hill High alone. Brooke had walked down the halls arm in arm with best friends Haley and Peyton, and they'd passed Nathan without even a glance in his direction. Nathan hadn't cast Brooke a single look as he listened wordlessly to Tim's account of … something. There had been no explanation as to why the perfect couple had separated, not even the hint of a rumor as to the reason for their split, leaving a sense of disquiet hovering across the school. All eyes were on Nathan as he had lunch with his brother and the rest of the basketball team that first week. Then all eyes switched to watch Brooke sit with her band of cheerleaders, giggling and swapping makeup and magazines. Life appeared to have rewound to pre-Brooke-and-Nathan, yet they weren't fooled by the cool façade. Nathan was darker. Moodier. Brooke was flirtier. Raucous.

The school had immediately split into two factions. Team Brooke vs. Team Nathan. Team Davis vs. Team Scott. Bevin had even come into school one day with a Team Brooke shirt on. It had caused an uproar, but the battle lines had been clearly drawn, even if no one spoke about it. Stuck right in the middle had been Haley and Lucas, the long-time friends with divided loyalties. Lucas had had to stand by his brother, and Haley had had to stand by her best friend.

For a month, they'd all waited impatiently for some kind of explanation. A reason as to why their fairytale union had come to a sudden end. A reason to stop believing in Nathan and Brooke. But nothing had emerged, and so it continued.

* * *

Nathan slammed his locker shut as he heard Brooke's giggle somewhere in the hall. It seemed like wherever he was, he couldn't escape her. She was in class with him. She was in the gym with her cheerleaders. She ate lunch at the table next to his. She was at basketball games. Just like she'd always been. She was always smiling, always laughing, and always having fun. That had annoyed him slightly, and the fact that it annoyed him annoyed him even more. Not once had he since her upset, or crying, or even seen the slightest hint of sadness in her eyes. Not that he'd honestly expected to, since Brooke Davis was as experienced as he was in the dating game. He'd never seen her cry. Not once. And yet here he was, nursing some wild need for her to break down and cry. Over him. When he deserved none of her tears and all of her derision. Except she hadn't screamed and yelled at him, not once. She hadn't paid him any attention at all. It was almost like they hadn't dated at all.

Which was how Nathan had wanted it, of course. When he'd ending things between them, he'd wanted to avoid the usual tears and tantrums that accompanied the end of his relationships, but this was all new to him. He should have expected it, because Brooke Davis wasn't his usual class of girlfriend. She was smart, she was feisty, and she was confident. But after a month of dating, Nathan found himself in unchartered territory, and it had scared him. Really scared him. So he'd done the only thing he knew how to do.

"Jake!" Brooke's giggling exclamation carried across the corridor towards him.

He schooled his face into its usual irritated scowl and turned in time to see Jake lean down and whisper into Brooke's ear, causing a smile to flash across her face. Nathan's scowl deepened slightly.

They passed by, Brooke not paying him any attention as usual, but Jake managed an awkward nod which Nathan barely reciprocated. He'd make sure Jake ran extra laps at practice today.

It had been inevitable. He'd known she'd find someone to replace him. It's how they worked. It's the excuse he'd used to himself when he'd walked slowly over to Brooke's house that last time. He and Brooke, they weren't relationship material. It had been fun to try, and it had been good whilst it lasted, but the end had crept up on them and it had been time to make the split before it became too difficult and they found themselves trapped in a relationship that neither of them wanted.

They'd been at a party, drinking and having fun. Everything had been normal, until he realised that Brooke was holding his hand, and she was stroking it. Caressing it. It was a lover's touch; it spoke more than words could. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he'd almost flinched when she dropped a kiss on his mouth for no reason other than because she'd wanted to.

The urge to run had been fierce and strong. This wasn't meant to be. He wasn't meant to fall for Brooke Davis, and she wasn't meant to fall for Nathan Scott. They weren't meant for commitment and settling down and cuddling on the couch. He and Brooke knew better than anyone how dangerous it was to fall for someone. Her parents were absent most of the time and barely talked to each other, let alone Brooke, whilst his parents had made his home life a war zone. He wasn't meant to end up like them, and he wouldn't. All he wanted was a pretty girl on his arm, basketball, and a few beers at the weekend to make everything else disappear.

He did not want to fall for Brooke Davis. More importantly, he didn't want people to think that he'd fallen for any girl, let alone this girl. His pride was all he had, apart from basketball, and he valued it beyond almost everything else. He'd had to show her. He'd had to show everyone. He was Nathan Scott, and he didn't care about anyone, and he didn't answer to anyone.

No, he couldn't fall for her.

But had she absolutely _had_ to pick Jake Jagielski, good-looking basketball star with a known reputation for being one of the nicest guys in school? Hell, one of the nicest guys on the planet? Not even he, jackass as he was most of the time, could find a bad word to say about Jake. But damned if he wasn't going to try real hard to think of one.

"Nate, you coming?" Lucas asked as he paused to wait for his brother.

Nathan blinked, lost in thought. "Yeah," he muttered. "Can I borrow your notes?"

Lucas handed him the copies he made every week for him.

"Thanks, man," Nathan said gruffly as they walked into the classroom. He knew exactly where Brooke was sitting, without even looking. He kept his gaze ahead until he reached his destination and flopped onto the chair, stretching his long legs out under the desk. He skimmed Lucas' notes, sighing inwardly as he struggled to make sense of them. He really needed to start paying attention in class before he fell too far behind.

Lucas sent a sympathetic glance towards his brother. Brooke flirting with Jake two desks away from him wasn't going to do Nathan's mood any good. Not that he blamed her, he knew exactly who was to blame in their break up, and she was entitled to make Nathan feel as miserable as possible. If Lucas had thought it'd do any good, he would have beaten some sense into his younger brother, but Lucas knew from experience that Nathan was as hard-headed as they came.

Nathan's gaze narrowed as he saw Brooke place her hand on Jake's arm. He knew that move. He'd watched Brooke put that move on numerous guys in the past, including himself. He missed the innocent yet highly precarious flirtation they'd communicated in over the years. He missed her touch. He missed anyone's touch, he corrected himself. He just needed to go out and get back into the swing of dating, and he'd be back to normal in no time. Dragging his eyes away from Brooke and Jake, determined to make a point of pushing her out of his life as she'd done to him, Nathan tried really hard to concentrate on whatever the teacher was droning on about this week.


	2. Someone New

**AN: This chapter was way harder than it should have been, but thanks to a minor inspiration, I managed to finish it. Yay! Let me know what you think, kay?**

Throwing his book across the room in frustration, Nathan ran his hand through his already tousled hair. Whenever he tried to concentrate on the figures, his mind went blank and started to wander places he didn't it want to wander. He stood up and padded across the room to pick up the incriminating book before tossing it onto his bed. With a sigh, Nathan headed downstairs and got a drink from the fridge.

"Hey," Deb greeted him.

"Hey Mom. I'm going out for a run," he told her briefly.

"Clearing your head or working off a frustration?" she asked, smiling sympathetically.

"Both," Nathan muttered before heading out.

Deb sighed as she watched her son leave. She knew how hard it was for him, living with two parents who despised each other yet couldn't seem to make that final break, and she wished there was something she could do to make it easier for him. All she could do was protect him from Dan and his measure of perfection that he expected both her and Nathan to live up to. It was impossible, but she'd long since come to terms with that. It was Nathan she feared for. Despite all his anger and the mood swings he had with his father, she knew he was still struggling to meet that measure of Dan's. All she could do was make sure Nathan didn't self-destruct before Dan let up or Nathan figured out a way to deal with his father.

Nathan jogged to the end of his street and took a left, deliberately taking the route furthest away from Brooke's house. He'd jogged that way so often in the past, just to see her smile and wave, and acknowledge her with a nod. Not today, though. He could do without another reminder of her etched into his memory.

He jogged a little faster and let his thoughts drift away as he concentrated on the sound of his sneakers hitting the sidewalk. The rhythmic pattern worked like it always did, and soon Nathan was concentrating on nothing but the beat of his heart and keeping the punishing pace of his 'jog'. After an hour of mindless running, Nathan slowed down until he grabbed a bottle of water from a store and cooled off with a walk along the beach. He headed in the opposite direction from the beach house, since he didn't want another argument with his dad, and the beach house held too many memories. Even before they'd dated, Brooke had been a permanent fixture at all the post-game parties he'd held there, and they'd played many a drunken game with friends there. They'd flirt somewhat lazily before separating and ending the night with random people, and that was their routine for years. He'd picked her up at the end of every party and carried her to her 'Brooke' guest room when she was too drunk to stand up. He'd lost count of the amount of times he'd slipped off her heels and tucked her under the blankets, leaving a glass of water for her before collapsing into his own bed. It had become habit somewhere along the line that he'd make sure she was okay at the end of the night, and she'd wake him up with some horrible tasting coffee before she left in the morning.

Their communication had always been either silent or mostly Brooke talking and Nathan pretending to listen, but he could picture Brooke in every part of his life, and it was driving him slowly insane. What he needed to do was have a great game on Friday, and slip into part of that familiar routine again. Without Brooke.

So much for jogging clearing his head. Kicking at the sand, Nathan stared out towards the ocean. He'd had to finish things with Brooke, it had been the right thing to do. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, as much as he hadn't wanted to get hurt himself. And that's all they'd do, in the end. Hurt each other. Because that was the way they were built. They weren't meant for relationships or happy ever after. That only happened in those cheesy movies, where the bad girl was redeemed by the smart, cute, good guy, or where the big bad jock was redeemed by the bookish, moral, yet oddly gorgeous girl tutoring him. None of those stupid movies had the bad girl and the bad guy getting together and living happily ever after. It was stupid, but somehow it made sense to him.

Turning, he made to continue along the beach, but he froze. About thirty yards away from him, Brooke and Jake were sitting on a blanket on the sand. He could hear their laughter from where he stood, and their body language was suggesting that they were a hell of a lot closer than just friends. He scowled as he noticed that Brooke was only wearing a black bikini, with some kind of skirt wrapped around her waist, and Jake was probably getting an eyeful.

He found himself a few steps closer to them before he checked himself and stopped. It wasn't his place to care about what Brooke did anymore. He watched as Jake leaned in and kissed her. His mouth tightened. So what if she was involved with Jake? He'd send them a fruit basket with his best wishes.

Turning around, he figured he'd take his chance with the beach house.

* * *

He deliberately turned his back when he heard Brooke behind him the next morning at school. He turned his full attention to Lucas, who was obviously trying to pretend that Brooke wasn't right behind them and failing miserably.

Rolling his eyes, Nathan turned to Lucas and muttered, "I have no idea. Just the usual crowd. And I'll figure out my date on the night, like I usually do."

"Huh," was all Lucas could manage to add to the conversation.

"There's no need to wait anymore," Nathan added. "I heard you're meant to wait half the distance of the relationship before hooking up again, and I was so considerate that I waited twice that."

Lucas couldn't respond.

In fact, it seemed like the whole hallway had gone quiet. Was this it? Were they going to finally find out what had happened to their favorite couple? Were they going to get the closure they all desperately needed?

Nathan refused to look around, despite the air of unease that he could feel around him. He suddenly found himself face to face with Brooke Davis, the girl he hadn't spoken to since the day he calmly told her it was over and walked away from her.

"Hey Scott," she said brightly.

"Brooke," he muttered.

"Can I have a word? I need to talk to you about sharing the gym after school for cheerleading practice," she said smoothly before heading towards an empty classroom.

He shrugged before closing his locker and taking his time before following her. The silence remained.

Closing the door behind him, he leant against it, partly because he was a leaner, and partly because it blocked everyone's view of them.

"How can I help you, Brooke?" he asked in a low voice.

"Don't you dare pretend that anything you've done for me has been considerate," Brooke said through clenched teeth. "I played by all the rules, Nathan, but if you want to break them, then I'll break them."

"Are you annoyed at me because I'm dating again, or are you annoyed at yourself because you're stuck with the nicest guy in Tree Hill?" Nathan asked softly.

"Being with the biggest jerk in Tree Hill didn't get me very far, did it?" Brooke fired back. "I thought I'd try something new. And it seems to have worked, doesn't it, Nathan? I mean, you've not showed a flicker of emotion until you caught us kissing yesterday."

"What you do is no concern of mine anymore, Davis," Nathan said deliberately. "You can kiss Jake, or any other guy, because I don't care."

"Really?" Brooke smiled sweetly. "Is that why you have Jake run extra laps every practice?"

"Jake runs extra laps because he needs to," Nathan said idly. "Games don't work with me, Brooke. I know them all, and I don't play them."

"That's a shame, Nate," Brooke said softly. "Because I play the game, and I stick to the rules. Make sure you stick to them too. No more wisecracks for everyone to hear." With that, Brooke walked towards him and waited for him to move from the door, before exiting with a bright smile on her face and heading straight for Haley.

Nathan ran his hand through his hair in a now familiar action, since his split from Brooke. Lucas' head appeared in the doorway.

"I take it that went well," he said, tongue in cheek.

"Shut up, Luke," Nathan glared at him.

"Round One to Brooke," Lucas said under his breath, with a little smile.


	3. The Things She Felt For Me

**AN: I'm aware of how much I suck for not updating sooner, but I'll try really hard to not wait so long again, honest!**

Brooke kept an eye on Nathan and Jake during cheerleading practice. Nathan had been stalking around the school all day, since their little talk, and she could recognise the signs. He was almost bristling with barely controlled anger, and she knew Jake was the prime suspect to be on the receiving end of Nathan's antagonism. So did Lucas, judging from the way he was trying to distract Nathan whilst casting glances between Jake and herself. Brooke had offered him a wry smile, but no real help. She couldn't exactly talk to Nathan, since they would just end up in another argument, and this time with the entire basketball team and cheerleading squad as witnesses, and if she tried to talk to Jake and remove him from Nathan's biting comments, he'd just have another reason to rag on Jake.

"Brooke?"

Peyton's gentle hand on her shoulder had Brooke spinning around, looking rueful.

"Sorry, guys," she apologised. "I think we're finished for the day, since there's no game tonight."

The girls cheered, happy because it gave them extra time to get ready for the big party that night, and they filtered out of the gym, leaving an air of unease surrounding the remaining basketball players.

"Are you okay?" Peyton asked quietly as they stepped into the changing rooms.

Brooke sighed as she leant her head on Peyton's shoulder. "Nathan's being an ass."

"He's been an ass for the past sixteen years," Peyton said, squeezing Brooke's shoulders. "He'll get over it soon enough."

"I hope so," she muttered, ignoring the little pang inside. She wasn't going to sit around and wait for Nathan to realise that he'd made a stupid mistake. If he wanted to be jealous of Jake, then that was up to him, but it meant nothing to her. Almost.

"Come on, lets get changed and we can go back to mine and you can make fun of all my records," Peyton offered with a grin.

Brooke lifted her head and smiled at her. "Can I borrow your blue top for tonight?"

"Anything you want," Peyton assured her.

"Can I dress you up like a doll?" Brooke teased.

"Uh, no," she laughed.

"I'll tell Haley to meet us there," Brooke said as she picked up her gym bag and pulled out her cell.

* * *

Sighing, Brooke put her cell down. Turning, she pouted at her two best friends.

"What happened?" Haley asked sympathetically as she reached out and stroked Brooke's hand.

"Nathan yelled at Jake and Lucas, and then told Jake to stay away from me," Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Remind me why you two broke up again?" Peyton deadpanned.

"He's such a jerk!" Brooke said in frustration. "He's the one who broke things off, for whatever stupid reason he came up with."

"You know Nathan gets jealous," Haley said. "Not unlike a certain other dark-haired popular captain we know."

"But he's not allowed to be jealous because he's the one who didn't want to be with me," Brooke groaned as she fell back against Peyton's bed. "And I'm not jealous!"

"Look, Nathan's not the easiest guy to figure out," Peyton pointed out. "He was freaked out by your relationship and that's why he ended things, and since you're not like his usual dates, he's thrown by you seeing Jake and not following him around, begging for a second chance."

"Either he wants to be with me or he doesn't," Brooke said firmly. "Since he doesn't, he doesn't get to be all caveman about me and who I date. It was his choice, so he has to live with it."

"Brooke, you don't have to pretend with us," Haley said gently.

"We know you still have feelings for Nathan," Peyton said bluntly.

"Feelings of hatred," Brooke muttered, before rolling her eyes and looking up at them. "Okay, fine, so maybe Nathan got to me, more than I'd expected. But he didn't break my heart or anything, I mean, we'd only been together for a month. I'm over him." She paused. "I'm really over him. I'll … I'll get over it."

"C'mon," Haley said as she tugged Brooke up onto her feet. "Let's find you an outfit that will really make Nathan regret breaking up with you."

* * *

"Okay, game face on," Brooke muttered as she stepped out of Peyton's car and followed Haley and Peyton into Nathan's beach house. She pushed a rogue memory of waking up here one morning, hungover, before padding into the kitchen, making herself and Nathan a mug of coffee, and waking him up, curling up at the foot on his bed and chatting idly about the party the night before. This was the first party Nathan had thrown since their break up, and Brooke had thought she was ready to face it again. Maybe she'd been wrong.

Before she could do anything stupid like run out, Peyton tugged on her hand and pulled her into the house, squeezing her hand in support. Brooke shook her head as if to clear it, before curving her lips into a bright smile and greeting Bevin and Theresa.

She spent an hour determinedly having fun and moving from room to room whenever she spotted him, always keeping a safe distance from his piercing stare. She sat and giggled with Haley, she bickered with Peyton over what CD to play, and she let Jake tease her before she dragged him towards the other dancing couples and let her head rest on his broad shoulders. As the music slowed, she looked up and into the crowded room, her eyes finding Nathan's with ease. He was talking to his brother, but something made him look up and lock eyes with her. Maybe he could feel her eyes on him, or maybe it had been coincidence, but Brooke couldn't look away.

She'd always teased him in the past about his brooding, intense stare and how it made girls swoon as they imagined him being some mysterious, romantic guy, when really, he was just trying to figure out how to improve his jump shot or he was working out how long he had to stick around for before he could make his escape. Now she was on the receiving end of it, she felt some kind of understanding for those girls.

So determined had she been to not let Nathan know how much he'd hurt her that she'd forgotten how painful just looking at him was. He hadn't broken her heart, but he'd hurt her more than any other guy she'd known. Nathan had been her friend. He'd been there for her since forever, and she'd never known what it was like not to have Nathan Scott in her life. She had fought against risking that with any kind of romance or sex, yet he'd convinced her that he'd never hurt her. And she had stupidly believed his gruff charm and his teasing eyes. Then a month later, just as she was starting to really believe in him and in them, when she was starting to feel comfortable in being a 'couple', he'd arrived at her house and told her that it was getting too serious between them, and that it was best for both of them if they just ended things, since they both knew how painful the conclusion would be, when it came. And it would. They weren't cut out for relationships, he'd said. Just when Brooke was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, they were.

* * *

_"If you'd cheered better, we would have won," Nathan grumbled as he lowered his body onto the bench next to her._

_"If you'd played better, we would have won," Brooke replied easily._

_"If your cheerleaders didn't flirt with my team, they wouldn't be so distracted," Nathan returned._

_"If your team weren't such horny teenagers, they wouldn't get distracted," Brooke grinned._

_"How come you're out here by yourself?" Nathan asked. "The party is back that way," he indicated behind him towards the beach house._

_"Same reason you're out here," Brooke said softly as she leaned over and rested her head against his shoulder. She shifted forward a little as he wrapped his arm around her._

_"Is Tim driving you mad too?" he questioned dryly._

_"You ever just feel … trapped in there?" Brooke sighed. "Everyone wants to talk to you because someone decided that we're the popular kids."_

_"I think you decided that you were the popular kid and no one dared argue with you," Nathan murmured, grinning as she turned her head and glared at him._

_"It's pointless having a serious conversation with you," Brooke said as she shook her head and made to get up._

_Nathan held her in place and looked apologetic. Or as apologetic as he could manage. "I'm sorry. I'm just no good at this stuff, you know that. I like talking about basketball, girls and fun. Everything else, I'm not good at."_

_"Well, I'm not talking to you about basketball, since you get all serious and boring, and I'm not discussing girls with you either, that leaves fun," Brooke decided._

_"What fun could we have at an unsupervised party, where there's alcohol and people?" Nathan mused._

_"Let's go for a walk," Brooke said as she jumped up and faced him, a huge grin on her face. "I can't face going back in there tonight, I just can't!"_

_Nathan shook his head in protest, but Brooke grabbed his hands and hauled him to his feet with superhuman strength. She dragged him along with her as she headed down the beach; kicking the sand with her feet and feeling the slight breeze cool her heated skin. She dropped his hand as she kicked off her sandals and headed straight for the waves that slid across the sand, and she waded in, letting her jeans get wet around the cuffs and feeling the sand and sea swirling around her feet._

_"You wanna go skinny dipping?" Brooke called over her shoulder, grinning._

_"And have you steal my clothes?" Nathan laughed. "No thanks."_

_"I only did that once!" Brooke protested as she waded deeper. She giggled as the water crept up to her waist, before she dived under the water, emerging with a grin. "Come on, the water's warm!"_

_Nathan shrugged as he took off his trainers and pulled his shirt over his head. He followed her into the water and swam out to meet her._

_"Much more fun than some lame spin the bottle game," Brooke murmured as she floated in the water._

_Nathan splashed her lightly. "You mean you'd rather be out here with me than inside with all those guys, dying for a chance with Brooke Davis?"_

_"At least you're not trying to get into my bed," she grinned._

_Nathan smiled lazily. "Brooke, I've taken you to bed so many times that I've lost count."_

_"Hey!" Brooke protested with a giggle. "Not like that!"_

_"Only because I'm a gentleman," Nathan said idly. "You beg and plead for me to take off your clothes, but I say no."_

_Brooke gasped. "I do not!"_

_Nathan chuckled as Brooke grabbed his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to push him under the water. He was easily stronger than her and she knew it, but she kept trying, laughing the whole time._

_Seeing a strand of her hair fall across her eyes, Nathan reached up and gently tucked it behind her ear. Brooke grinned at him as she wrapped her legs around his waist, the weight of her wet jeans heavy on her legs. Nathan waded until he could put his feet on the sea bed._

_"I would rather be out here with you than inside," Brooke murmured. "Especially when Haley and Peyton have abandoned me for the evening."_

_"Brooke …" Nathan muttered as his hands gently stroked her back._

_"Because we're friends, right?" Brooke asked softly._

_"You've got your legs wrapped around my waist, your top is wet and clinging to you like a second skin and you're telling me you'd rather be with me than anyone else," Nathan said, fixing his gaze on her. "And you want to make sure we're friends?"_

_Brooke unwrapped her legs from his body, but he kept his arms around her. He bent his head slowly and kissed her lips softly._

_Brooke blinked as she pulled away, her lips tingling, before putting her hands on his chest. "Nathan, don't do this. We can't."_

_"We can," he disagreed, his gaze on her lips._

_"We'd end up hating each other," she sighed._

_"Maybe," he agreed. "Or maybe not."_

_"Nathan," Brooke pleaded. "We're not doing this."_

_"I disagree," he murmured before his lips captured hers._

* * *

Brooke sighed as the memory faded. She'd fought him, but his kisses had weakened her until she'd given in and thrown herself at him, giggling as he fell backwards onto the sand and she'd landed on top of him. Her eyes flickered unbidden to that spot, before she glanced back at Nathan. He was still watching her with hooded eyes. Closing her eyes, she pushed him out of her mind as she rested her cheek against Jake's chest once more. 


	4. Everything

**AN: Ahh! I'm so sorry! I officially suck. I have no excuses, just a lack of ability to write. Now that OTH is back, hopefully updates will become more frequent, because I honestly love this story, more than life itself. I hope some of you love it half as much too.**

"Shake your pom-poms, Sawyer!" Brooke cheered as she appeared in the doorway to her friend's bedroom.

"Don't go all Ricky Martin on me tonight, Brooke," Peyton groaned as she finished tugging on her cheerleading top. "How can you be so energetic after that math quiz and that gentle jog you convinced me to take with you that turned into a marathon?"

"Peyton Sawyer, you know who we're playing tonight," Brooke glared at her, her hands on her hips.

"The Bear Creek Warriors," Peyton sighed the sigh of the long suffering.

"Claire Young is coming to our turf," Brooke practically growled.

"Our turf?" Peyton smothered a laugh. "What is this, West Side Story?"

"We're on the east side," Brooke said, confused.

"Never mind," she laughed. "I know, you want to beat the hell out of Claire, and Nathan will want to beat the crap out of their point guard."

"I hope he does," Brooke muttered.

"What was that? Brooke Davis cheering for Nathan Scott?" Peyton teased.

"Only on the court," Brooke replied with a saccharine smile.

"Do we need to pick Hales up?" Peyton asked as she grabbed her keys and bag.

"She said she was coming with Lucas," Brooke muttered as she led the way downstairs and out to Peyton's car.

"Oh, get over it already," Peyton chuckled. "She's hardly sleeping with the enemy."

"He's Nathan's brother!" Brooke said defiantly. "And, okay, he didn't inherit the ass-gene, but he's still a Scott, and they're evil."

"Nathan's not evil, he's just stupid," Peyton pointed out as she started the car and reversed out of the driveway. "And I thought you didn't care about Nathan."

"You're the one who keeps bringing him up," Brooke muttered childishly.

"Uh huh," Peyton grinned to herself.

"Just drive, okay?" Brooke said in a huff.

Chuckling, Peyton drove towards the school, pulling into her usual space and parked. Brooke had hopped out of the car, slammed the door shut and was halfway towards the building before Peyton had a chance to grab her bag.

"This is going to be unbearable," she groaned to herself.

"What's up with Brooke?" Haley asked as she appeared at Peyton's shoulder.

Glancing towards her and seeing the tall, blonde Scott next to her, Peyton grimaced. "The Bear Creek Warriors."

"Oh," Haley sighed. "I thought she'd gotten over that Claire Young thing."

"Not a chance in hell," Peyton rolled her eyes.

"I guess they can both hold a grudge," Lucas murmured. When the girls looked up at him, he motioned towards Nathan, who was stalking into the building, wearing a dark scowl.

"Nah, that's just his usual sunny disposition," Haley teased.

"Funny," Lucas said dryly. "Nathan's got a huge problem with Rivers, their point guard."

"The cute blond?" Haley asked. Off their looks, she shrugged sheepishly. "What? He's gorgeous!"

"I don't think Nathan's jealous of his looks, Hales," Peyton chuckled. "I gotta go calm Brooke down. Have a good game, Luke. See you after, Hales."

Peyton followed the direction Brooke had taken, reluctantly.

"I better go check that Nathan's not planning to rip anyone's head off," Lucas sighed. "I'll see you at the beach house after?"

"Wouldn't miss it, even if I could," Haley said wryly. "Have a great game. And try and keep Nathan from killing anyone. Especially Brooke and Jake."

"I'm no miracle worker, Hales," Lucas laughed before jogging away.

Haley sighed before making her way to the gym and taking a seat next to Mouth.

Brooke appeared first, her game face on, leading her cheerleaders to a corner to stretch and warm up.

Nathan appeared seconds later, his game face on, leading his team to one of the hoops and letting them practice.

Haley watched with a sense of dread as the other team appeared, their cheerleaders flashing big smiles and their basketball team looking lean and hungry.

"This is going to be a disaster," she murmured.

"It can't be any worse than last time," Mouth attempted to reassure her. "I mean, Nathan's hardly going to get himself benched for lunging for Sam Rivers in the first quarter."

"I'd be impressed if he made it to the game at all," Haley winced as she watched Nathan glare daggers at the blond opponent, who was smirking in response.

But Nathan managed to keep his temper in check, mostly thanks to Jake and Lucas, who ran interference for him. Every person in the gym could feel the tension radiating from the court, and in particular, from the Tree Hill captain, and they fell silent, the only noise coming from the reluctant cheerleaders.

Brooke could feel the lack of enthusiasm from her squad, but she was determined to cheer alone, if she had to. Every time Rivers lost the ball or missed a shot, Brooke yelled at the top of her lungs. Every time Nathan made a basket, Brooke screamed wildly and jumped up and down excitedly. Every time Lucas or Jake blocked Rivers, Brooke waved her pom-poms at the crowd, trying to help them find their voice.

With ten seconds left, the Warriors were ahead by a single point, and Rivers had the ball. Nathan narrowed his eyes so that he could focus on him. Jake was with Rivers as he headed for the basket, and managed to reach up high enough to block his shot. Brooke yelled in encouragement. Lucas caught the loose ball and launched a long shot towards Nathan, who was already breaking free. Brooke, the rest of the squad, and half the gym screamed his name in unison. Catching the ball, Nathan took a perfect shot and grinned at Rivers as the ball swished through the net, securing the win.

Brooke propelled herself forward, heading for Nathan at a dead run. He caught her in his arms and twirled her around, laughing as she squealed in excitement.

"You did it!" she laughed in triumph. "You kicked his ass!"

"You doubted it?" he queried as he lowered her to the ground and hugged her tightly.

"Never," she assured him as she hugged him back, relishing his touch.

The rest of the team, the cheerleaders and the school surrounded them and Brooke found herself hugging Haley and Peyton.

"Okay, Davis, what was all that about?" Haley asked, her eyebrows arched.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"The jumping into the arms of the boy who broke your heart last month and acting all giddy-thing," Peyton clarified with a droll smile.

"I was caught in the moment," Brooke muttered.

"You ran straight up to him and he twirled you. In front of the whole school. Nathan Scott. The boy you hate," Haley clarified some more, feeling that Peyton clearly hadn't done a good enough job.

"We were just caught up in the moment," Brooke insisted, groaning silently. She'd been so caught up in the game, and so caught up in the rivalries, that she'd completely forgotten that she was supposed to hate Nathan. It had seemed so natural to run to him …

"What about Jake?" Haley asked softly.

Brooke's eyes widened in horror. "Oh God! I can just imagine what that looked like … he's going to hate me."

She turned and fled towards the changing rooms.

Sharing a look, Peyton and Haley followed her.

Brooke showered and changed in record time, before yelling to them that she was going to catch a ride with Jake, and she'd see them at the party.

But before she could find Jake, she ran into a little history.

"Hey Brooke," Sam drawled. "Still looking sexy as hell, I see."

"And still out of your league," she retorted, rolling her eyes as she moved to pass him.

"I think you've got that all mixed up," he said softly as his hand reached out across the corridor to stop her.

"Move your hand," she bit off angrily.

"Never learn your lesson, do you, Rivers?" a familiar voice said in a soft, menacing drawl.

Brooke closed her eyes in relief as she felt him come up behind her and place a reassuring hand on the small of her back.

"I heard you two broke up," Sam said, his eyes flickering over Nathan's possessive hand on Brooke.

"Either way, you don't get to put your hands on her again," Nathan said, his eyes narrowing as he shifted his stance slightly.

"She wasn't worth it last time, she's not worth it this time," Sam shrugged before moving away.

Brooke could feel the anger radiating from him, and she turned to put a small hand on his chest.

"Easy, tiger," she said softly.

Glancing down at her, Nathan breathed deeply and tried to release the fury inside of him.

"Thanks for rescuing me," she said with a brilliant smile. "Again."

"Beating him on the court was good enough for me," Nathan muttered. "This time."

"It was good enough for me, too," Brooke grinned at him. "I'm impressed you managed to keep your temper in control."

"I had to," Nathan shrugged. "I needed to beat him, on the court, where it would hurt him the most. For you."

And then he stepped away from her and disappeared down the hall without a backward glance.

Speechless, Brooke stared after him. Nathan had held his legendary temper in check, so that he could beat Sam Rivers fair and square, for her? She felt like screaming. Every time she thought she'd gotten a handle on Nathan, he threw her a curveball. How could he be such a jackass, break her heart, and treat her so badly, and then turn around and say that to her?!

"Hey, waiting for me?" Jake said softly as he came up behind her.

"Jake," Brooke said his name on a sigh. "Can I get a ride to the party?"

"Yeah, I think we need to talk," Jake said with a lopsided smile.

"You could say that," Brooke muttered.


	5. Give Us Time

**AN: Yes, I suck at life. I won't promise a quicker update this time, because we all know that probably won't happen. Enjoy!**

"I'm so sorry," Brooke said quickly, as soon as they were both seated in Jake's car.

"Brooke," Jake began in his quiet, firm voice, "its okay."

"No, it's not," Brooke groaned before turning to look at him, her eyes anguished.

"It is," Jake assured her. "I'm glad I was here to help you, after you two broke things off. But we'll only ever be friends. And that's okay."

"Why can't it be you?" she cried, leaning forward to rest her head on his shoulder. "I don't want to feel this way."

"I know the feeling," Jake said dryly. "I wanted it to be you too."

"You'll still be my friend, Jake, won't you?" she asked plaintively.

"Of course I will," he chuckled. "And if you need me, I'm there for you."

"You're the best guy I know, Jake," she said firmly.

"You're not so bad yourself, Brooke," he grinned before starting the engine and pulling away in the direction of the beach house.

"You know," Brooke mused as she considered his profile, "you don't seem exactly … heartbroken."

Jake smiled, a little secretive smile that danced on his lips.

"You like someone!" she exclaimed. "You know the feeling because you like someone else and they don't know!"

"It's our little secret, Brooke," Jake said firmly. "I know yours, and now you know mine."

"Who is it?!" she asked excitedly. Her mind ran through the possibilities, but she came up blank. "I might be able to help set you up."

"I think I'm capable of that myself," he said dryly. "I may not be Nathan, but I have some charm."

"Of course you do," Brooke said absently, patting his arm. "Who is it?!"

"Uh uh," Jake shook his head. "That's staying my secret."

"I'll figure it out," Brooke threatened.

"I'm sure you will," he chuckled as he pulled up to the beach house and parked. "But for now, I only have eyes for you."

"Don't worry about me, Jake," Brooke said confidently. "You go get your girl."

"Maybe I will," Jake mused teasingly as he led her into the house.

"Whoever she is, I hope she deserves you," she murmured, squeezing his hand before letting it go with a smile and heading off towards Peyton and Haley.

"I hope I deserve her," Jake murmured under his breath, his eyes following her across the room.

"Another win, another lame party," Brooke rolled her eyes as she nudged Haley along to make room for herself on the couch.

"You love these lame parties," Haley laughed as she handed Brooke a drink.

"It didn't go well with Jake?" Peyton asked sympathetically.

"He … likes someone else," Brooke said hesitantly.

Peyton and Haley blinked comically.

"He likes someone else?" Peyton asked.

"He didn't say anything about the Nathan twirling?" Haley asked.

"Yes, and no," Brooke said, hating the lie, but not wanting her friends to see what Jake had seen too clearly about her and Nathan.

"I wonder who it is," Peyton said slowly, her eyes drifting over to where Jake and Lucas were laughing at Tim.

"So what about you and Nathan?" Haley persisted.

"What about me and Nathan?" Brooke said, keeping her voice cool and her face blank.

"Okay, Brooke, you have your secrets," Haley grinned. "It'll come out eventually."

"Excuse me," Brooke stood up, shooting Haley a dirty look. "I see a cute boy I need to talk to."

Making her way through the crowd, Brooke stepped between Jake and Lucas, before slipping onto a stool and grinning at the two of them.

"Good game, Luke," she said brightly.

"Thanks, Brooke," he answered warily.

"Don't worry, I won't bite," she winked. "Not unless you ask."

"Uh huh," Lucas murmured, his eyes guarded.

"Oh relax," Brooke whispered, leaning forward to place her hand on his chest comfortingly. "Jake will protect you from Big Bad Brooke."

Jake said nothing, but his eyes were dancing.

"So where's your big, bad brother?" Brooke asked casually, letting her hand drift a little lower on his chest.

Taking her hand gently, but firmly, Lucas lifted it from his chest and placed it on the counter. "I have no idea. I don't think he even made it here from the game."

"He's ditching his own party?" Brooke asked, a little surprised.

"Maybe he's just ditching the company," Lucas said pointedly.

"Now, now, Lucas. There's no reason to be nasty," Brooke grinned. "I wasn't the bad guy."

"Maybe not," Lucas conceded. "But then again, Nathan didn't start dating Peyton two weeks later, did he?"

"Nathan and Peyton?" Brooke scoffed. "Please. There's a match made in emo-heaven. There's not enough sunshine in the world to combat their combined moods. They need someone happy and adjusted to balance out their issues. Peyton needs someone like …"

She trailed off as her eyes darted up to Jakes, and then a huge smile burst onto her lips. "Ja-!"

Jake's hand covered her mouth, as he smiled serenely at Lucas. "Excuse us, we need a word."

"You like Peyton!" Brooke hissed through his fingers as he half-dragged her away.

"Okay, yes," he muttered. "Well, that secret lasted all of thirty minutes."

"You should go over and say hi," Brooke said seriously. "I think you'd be great together."

"Don't push it, Brooke," Jake warned her with a smile. "I'll figure it out myself."

"I'll keep your secret, Jake," Brooke promised before disappearing into the crowd.

She wandered around, noting that everyone seemed to be on their way to a post-win haze of happy drunkenness, yet she hadn't touched a drop. She had no desire to find solace in alcohol tonight, and she didn't want to face another round of questions from Haley and Peyton, despite their good intentions.

She hadn't seen Nathan at all, and she'd covered the entire ground floor. Not that she was looking for him, exactly, but his absence from his own party was conspicuous. She found herself upstairs, and heading to the room she'd always thought of as 'hers', since the first night Nathan had carried her into it and placed her on the bed. Pushing the door open, she held her breath.

It was empty. Well, what was she expecting? Nathan to be standing there, pensively looking at her bed? She needed to get out of that house, and get her head on straight, because she couldn't seem to clear her head of Nathan, ever since she'd impulsively run to him after the game. A momentary lapse, that's all it was. That's all it could ever be … if she wanted to protect her heart.

Stepping out of the room, she headed downstairs and out onto the beach. She used her cell to call a cab, and she was home ten minutes later. Paying the nice taxi driver, who hadn't hassled her with idle chat, she walked up to the red door she loved so much, as it meant home to her more than anything else in the world, and nearly jumped out of her black stilettos as a figure moved from the shadows of her porch and into the light.

"Nathan!" she screeched, her heart thumping wildly. "What the hell?"

"Sorry," he smiled sheepishly.

"What are you doing? And why aren't you at your party?" she asked, pressing her hand to her chest as she tried to control her breathing.

"You noticed I wasn't there?" Nathan asked, his lips curving into a smug grin.

"Lucas mentioned you weren't there," Brooke said coolly.

"You talked to Lucas?" he asked in surprise. "You must have been really worried about me."

"He was standing next to Jake," Brooke said through her teeth.

"Ah yes, of course," Nathan said slowly, but his eyes were burning through hers, as if he could see the truth in them.

"What are you doing here?" she repeated.

He mumbled something.

She stared at him blankly. "Sorry?"

"I uh … missed you," he muttered.

Brooke felt her eyebrows arch and her mouth fall open.

Silence stretched out before them.

"I mean," Nathan said hurriedly, "I've missed us being friends."

"Oh," Brooke managed to keep her voice even as her eyes glazed over to hide the hurt.

"I know you said that we'd be risking our friendship, and I didn't listen," he said sadly. "I miss talking to you, Brookie."

"Cheap shot," Brooke managed a smile at his nickname.

"I know," he grinned slightly.

"You want to be friends, Scott?" Brooke said thoughtfully.

"I don't want to fight anymore," he murmured.

"I don't know if I can be your friend anymore, Nate," she said sadly.

"Could you try?" he asked.

"I'm not promising anything," she warned. "But I don't want to fight either."

He reached out and let his fingers tangle in the loose ends of her ponytail, before giving it a little tug and letting it go.

"That's all I'm asking for, Brooke."

She watched as he walked slowly to his car, and pulled away, leaving her heart and mind confused.


End file.
